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Centre Of Origin
A Vavilov center or center of origin is a geographical area where a group of organisms, either domesticated or wild, first developed its distinctive properties. Centers of origin were first identified in 1924 by Nikolai Vavilov. Vavilov posited that the center of origin for a species or genus is the same as its ''center of diversity'', the geographic area where it has the highest genetic diversity, but this equivalence has been disputed by later scholars. Plants Locating the origin of crop plants is basic to plant breeding. This allows one to locate wild relatives, related species, and new genes (especially dominant genes, which may provide resistance to diseases). Knowledge of the origins of crop plants is important in order to avoid genetic erosion, the loss of germplasm due to the loss of ecotypes and landraces, loss of habitat (such as rainforests), and increased urbanization. Germplasm preservation is accomplished through gene banks (largely seed collections but now fro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
El Salvador
El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is San Salvador. The country's population in 2024 was estimated to be 6 million according to a government census. Among the Mesoamerican nations that historically controlled the region are the Maya peoples, Maya, and then the Cuzcatlan, Cuzcatlecs. Archaeological monuments also suggest an early Olmec presence around the first millennium BC. In the beginning of the 16th century, the Spanish conquest of El Salvador, Spanish Empire conquered the Central American territory, incorporating it into the Viceroyalty of New Spain ruled from Mexico City. However, the Viceroyalty of New Spain had little to no influence in the daily affairs of the isthmus, which was colonized in 1524. In 1609, the area was declared the Captaincy General of Guatemala by the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sweetpotato
The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant in the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its sizeable, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable, which is a staple food in parts of the world. Cultivars of the sweet potato have been bred to bear tubers with flesh and skin of various colors. Moreover, the young shoots and leaves are occasionally eaten as greens. The sweet potato and the potato are in the order Solanales, making them distant relatives. Although darker sweet potatoes are often known as "yams" in parts of North America, they are even more distant from actual yams, which are monocots in the order Dioscoreales. The sweet potato is native to the tropical regions of South America in what is present-day Ecuador. Of the approximately 50 genera and more than 1,000 species of Convolvulaceae, ''I. batatas'' is the only crop plant of major importance—some others are used locally (e.g., ''I. aquatica'' "kangkong" ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Henequen
''Agave fourcroydes'' or henequen is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to southern Mexico and Guatemala. It is reportedly naturalized in Madeira, Italy, the Canary Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Hispaniola, the Cayman Islands and the Lesser Antilles. Overview The leaves of ''Agave fourcroydes'' yield a fiber also called henequen, which is suitable for rope and twine but not of as high a quality as sisal. It is the major plantation fiber agave of eastern Mexico, being grown extensively in Yucatán, Veracruz, and Tamaulipas. It is also used to make , a traditional Mexican alcoholic drink. The plant appears as a rosette of sword-shaped leaves meters long, growing out of a thick stem that may reach 1.7 meters (5 ft). The leaves have regularly spaced teeth 3–6 mm long and a terminal spine 2–3 cm long. Like sisal, ''A.fourcroydes'' is a sterile hybrid; the ovaries never produce seeds. The plant does produce bulbils that may be planted ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Upland Cotton
''Gossypium hirsutum'', also known as upland cotton or Mexican cotton, is the most widely planted species of cotton in the world. Globally, about 90% of all cotton production is of cultivars derived from this species. In the United States, the world's largest exporter of cotton, it constitutes approximately 95% of all cotton production. It is native to Mexico, the West Indies, northern South America, Central America and possibly tropical Florida. Archeological evidence from the Tehuacan Valley in Mexico shows the cultivation of this species as long ago as 3,500 BC, although there is as yet no evidence as to exactly where it may have been first domesticated. This is the earliest evidence of cotton cultivation in the Americas found thus far. ''Gossypium hirsutum'' includes a number of varieties or cross-bred cultivars with varying fiber lengths and tolerances to a number of growing conditions. The longer length varieties are called "long staple upland" and the shorter length varie ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chayote
Chayote (; previously placed in the obsolete genus ''Sechium''), also known as christophine, mirliton, güisquil, and choko, is an edible plant belonging to the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. This fruit was first cultivated in Mesoamerica between southern Mexico and Honduras, with the most genetic diversity available in both Mexico and Guatemala. It is one of several foods introduced to the Old World during the Columbian Exchange. At that time, the plant spread to other parts of the Americas, ultimately causing it to be integrated into the cuisine of many Latin American nations. The chayote fruit is mostly used cooked. When cooked, chayote is usually handled like summer squash; it is generally lightly cooked to retain the crispy consistency. Raw chayote may be added to salads or salsas, most often marinated with lemon or lime juice, but is often regarded as unpalatable and tough in texture. Whether raw or cooked, chayote is a good source of Vitamin C. Although most people are f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Malabar Gourd
''Cucurbita ficifolia'' is a species of squash, grown for its edible seeds, fruit, and greens. It has common names including black seed squash, chilacayote, cidra, fig-leaf gourd, and Malabar gourd. Compared to other domesticated species in its genus, investigators have noted that samples of ''C. ficifolia'' from throughout its range are relatively similar to one other in morphology and genetic composition. Variations do occur in fruit and seed color, some isozymes, and photoperiod sensitivity. This species is grown widely from Argentina and Chile to Mexico. It is also cultivated in regions of the world including India, Japan, Korea, China, the Philippines, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Angola. No named agricultural cultivars have been recognized. Research suggests that ''C. ficifolia'' represents an earlier evolutionary branch than the other major cultivated ''Cucurbita'' species, but biosystematic investigations have established that ''C. ficifolia'' is not as distinc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grain Amaranth
Species belonging to the genus ''Amaranthus'' have been cultivated for their grains for 8,000 years. Amaranth plants are classified as pseudocereals that are grown for their edible starchy seeds, but they are not in the same botanical family as true cereals, such as wheat and rice. Amaranth species that are still used as a grain are ''Amaranthus caudatus'' L., '' Amaranthus cruentus'' L., and ''Amaranthus hypochondriacus'' L''.'' The yield of grain amaranth is comparable to that of rice or maize. The grain was a staple food of the Aztecs and an integral part of Aztec religious ceremonies. The cultivation of amaranth was banned by the conquistadores upon their conquest of the Aztec nation. However, the plant has grown as a weed since then, so its genetic base has been largely maintained. Research on grain amaranth began in the United States in the 1970s. By the end of the 1970s, a few thousand acres were being cultivated there, and continue to be cultivated. Much of the ama ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jack Bean
''Canavalia ensiformis'' (jack bean) is a legume which is used for animal fodder and human nutrition, especially in Brazil where it is called ''feijão-de-porco'' ("pig bean"). It is also the source of concanavalin A. Description ''C. ensiformis'' is a twining plant up to in height. It has deep roots, which makes it drought resistant. The plant can spread via long runners. The flowers are pink-purple in colour. The pods are up to long with large white seeds. Uses Historically, it was used by native tribes for food and forage in droughty regions of Arizona and Mexico. Now, while commonly consumed in Asia and Japan, C. ensiformis seem to be unpopular elsewhere. The beans are mildly toxic, and copious consumption should be avoided. Boiling will, however, remove toxicity if done properly. Young foliage is also edible. The whole plant is used for fodder, although it cannot be used in fodder mixtures containing urea, since it contains large quantities of the enzyme urease, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tepary Bean
''Phaseolus acutifolius'', also known as the tepary bean, is a legume native to the southwestern United States and Mexico and has been grown there by the native peoples since pre-Columbian times. It is more drought-resistant than the common bean (''Phaseolus vulgaris'') and is grown in desert and semi-desert conditions from Arizona through Mexico to Costa Rica. The water requirements are low. The crop will grow in areas where annual rainfall is less than . Description The tepary bean is an annual and can be climbing, trailing, or erect, with stems up to long. The Binomial nomenclature, specific epithet, , is derived from Latin (pointed, acute), and (-leaved). A narrow leafed, variety ''tenuifolius'', and a broader leafed, variety ''latifolius'', are known. Domestic varieties are derived from ''latifolius''. Observation of "a limited number" of wild specimens suggested that "the flowers concur with the summer rains, first appearing in late August, with the pods ripening early ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lima Bean
A lima bean (''Phaseolus lunatus''), also commonly known as butter bean, sieva bean, double bean or Madagascar bean, is a legume grown for its edible seeds or beans. Origin and uses ''Phaseolus lunatus'' is found in Meso- and South America. Two gene pools of cultivated lima beans point to independent domestication events. The Mesoamerican lima bean is distributed in neotropical lowlands, while the other is found in the western Andes. They were discovered in Peru and may have been the first plant that was brought up under civilization by the native farmers. The Andean domestication took place around 2000 BC and produced a large-seeded variety (lima type), while the second, taking place in Mesoamerica around 800 AD, produced a small-seeded variety (Sieva type). By around 1300, cultivation had spread north of the Rio Grande, and, in the 1500s, the plant began to be cultivated in the Old World. The small-seeded (Sieva) type is found distributed from Mexico to Argentina, generally ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Common Bean
''Phaseolus vulgaris'', the common bean,, is a herbaceous annual plant grown worldwide for its edible dry seeds or green bean, green, unripe pods. Its leaf is also occasionally used as a Leaf vegetable, vegetable and the straw as fodder. Its Plant taxonomy, botanical classification, along with other ''Phaseolus'' species, is as a member of the legume family, Fabaceae. Like most members of this family, common beans acquire the nitrogen they require through an association with rhizobia, which are Nitrogen fixation, nitrogen-fixing bacteria. The common bean has a long history of cultivation. All wild members of the species have a climbing habit, but many cultivars are classified either as ''bush beans'' or ''climbing beans'', depending on their style of growth. The other major types of commercially grown beans are the runner bean (''Phaseolus coccineus'') and the broad bean (''Vicia faba''). Beans are grown on every continent except Antarctica. In 2022, 28 million tonnes of d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
